Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite - Race Overview

Like many of the projected Omloop Het Nieuwsblad pre-race favourites, ORICA-GreenEDGE missed out on the race winning move. The Australian outfit came together during the last hour of racing to assume control of the chase. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to close the gap to the race leaders and had to settle for riding in a bunch that was racing for 11th place.

Luca Paolini (Katusha) won a two-up sprint against Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma QuickStep). The duo broke away from the ten rider escape group that had formed following the last climb of the race. The field finished 6:27 behind Paolini. Jens Keukeleire, Sebastian Langeveld, Baden Cooke and Mitch Docker were all part of 90 rider peloton.

"The results may not reflect it, but the team did a great job today. They were where they needed to be at nearly every critical point of the race. Their only mistake was not anticipating the winning break. They thought the move was the opening for the leaders instead of recognizing it as a a real threat." - Sport Director Laurenzo Lapage